Cost effective DSLR rig for newbie options

Hi, I’ve got a Canon FD 50mm macro with the extension tube, which (I believe) achieves a 1:1 ratio. It occured to me, after using my mates epson 550 and getting better scans than the local lab, that I could probably do pretty well with my Panasonic s1 and FD macro.

I’m a little overwhelmed by the options, however. I also live in New Zealand, where we most of the options people in the states and europe have access to are extra expensive here.

There is a shop selling Kaiser, Negative Supply and Skier stuff.

But it can easily get to 2-3x more expensive than a dedicated scanner. The negative supply basic holder alone, for example, costs 1.5x more than a second hand prosumer epson scanner. I’m not a pro, and I work minimum wage, so I can’t spend that much on a hobby!

The skier copy stand + copy box costs less than the negative supply holder alone.

I am reasonably handy with DIY, and have a friend with a 3D printer I can maybe coax into printing me some bits…

The kaiser slimline plano isn’t outrageously priced here, either.

To keep in the $500nzd ($300usd) range, what would folks recommend?

DIY DSLR Film Scanning - Overview PART ONE - YouTube - something like this seems quite easy to make, are there any obvious down sides to it?

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…looks interesting and easy enough to me. As a light source, you can use the sun shining on a white paper or through a frosted or opalised window. Just keep the part between the lens and negative covered to prevent stray light. If you still have an incandescent light bulb, it can serve as light source too. For B&W, light quality does not matter much at all.

Read this. You don’t need to spend a fortune.

I’ve scanned thousands of negatives with this setup since writing the piece. I’ve not made any changes.

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Canon 50 f/3.5 FD Macro is quite good. The Skier Copy Box with its holders is also quite good. Its light is a bright video light, you’ll be about 1/100th at ISO 100.

Kaiser panel is good, but not bright. You’ll be at about 1/3sec;